Spicy Indian Cuisine

Monday, June 19, 2006

10 Things I Miss Most From my Mom’s cuisine

I started this blog by writing on my mom's culinary skills and the magic touch she adds to her recipes. But then missed out on mentioning the favorite dishes my mom prepares.

I would like to thank Aparna, as it was so nice of her to tag me to this meme world.

Even now, when I plan to go home, the first thing would be to call up my mom and give her the list of recipes I covet to eat. And as always she ends up preparing all those mouth-watering dishes for me and serves it with more love. Its just not her recipes that i miss...its her that i miss the most :(.

There is a long list of recipes that I crave for, prepared by my mom. But then the meme is about 10 dishes. So here they go

Palada Prathaman - Its one of my favorite payasam. I would call it Divine Nectar. For this payasam, pieces of flour paste (ada) are boiled in milk and sweetened with sugar. No ghee or spices are added except some cardamoms.

Appam & Ishtu - They just make a great combination. I have never tasted appam, as soft in the center and crisp on the sides like my mom makes.

Mutter Paneer

Dishes in paneer taste good, especially when they are complemented with other vegetables like capsicum, potato, spinach etc., but Peas (Mutter) makes the best combination.

I have a friend from Bihar, who is a specialist in making mutter paneer and she prepares it very scrumptious. It’s a north Indian dish, which goes well with Roti.

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh peas

200 gm of paneer (cheese cubes)

¼ cup yogurt

Coriander Leaves

Salt to taste

For Seasoning

3 tsp Ghee (can also use refined oil)

2 medium sized onions

1 tsp Ginger & Garlic paste 2 medium sized tomatoes

½ tsp Turmeric powder

½ tsp Chilli powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

1 tsp Garam masala / Kitchen king masala

2 Bay Leaves

1 medium size Cinnamon stick

Preparation:

Fresh peas taste best, but if not available can use dry peas by soaking it overnight. Pressure cook peas until they are soft. Be careful not to overcook it.

Cut the onions into four and boil them in sufficient water for about 5 minutes. Grind it in a mixie.

Heat 1tsp of ghee/oil in a frying pan, add the paneer (cheese cubes) and fry for 4-5 minutes, until they gently turn to golden brown on all sides. Remove the paneer and dip it in cold water, squeeze the water and keep it aside.

Pour in ¼ cup yogurt add turmeric, garam masala, mix it well and cook it for 2 minutes. Now add the cooked peas, cheese cubes and one cup of water. Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the chopped coriander leaves and mutter paneer is ready to be served.

Tip : you can use tomato puree instead of chopped tomatoes, both tastes good.